The good news: NBA regular season basketball will return on Tuesday with the 2025-26 tipoff, including the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the Golden State Warriors.
The bad news: LeBron James won’t suit up for the Lake Show.
What gives? He’s suffering from sciatica, and if you’re here, you might be wondering what sciatica is and how long he’ll be out for.
Let’s start with the latter: He’ll reportedly be back mid-November (see below), assuming there are no setbacks, although JJ Redick has said — per The Athletic — that LeBron “has his own timeline.”
Seems like there’s no pressure to push the 40-year-old to come back quickly.
What is sciatica?
Per the Cleveland Clinc:
Sciatica happens when irritation, inflammation, pinching or compression affect one or more nerves that run down your lower back and into your legs. It’s usually not a serious or dangerous condition, and most people with sciatica get better on their own with time and self-care treatments. But severe cases may need surgery.
